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M a r c h 1 3 , 2 0 1 4

Vol. 191, No. 7

Into Dark Places

Media Professionals Meet in Baltimore The Green-striped Downy Comforter

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March 13, 2014

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CHURCH.GOD’SAUTHORITY IN

LIKE JESUS

SErVING

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“Behold, I come quickly . . .” Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ by presenting stories of His matchless love, news of His present workings, help for knowing Him better, and hope in His soon return.

16 Serving Like JesusDarius Jankiewicz

We all agree that Christ is the head of the church. But what happens after that?

20 Keeping the Heart in Heavenrex D. eDwarDs

When so much conspires to keep our focus on earthly things, an upward glance is not enough.

24 A Twenty-first-Century FaithJonathan Martin

It all boils down to one word: relationships.

28 The Green-striped Downy Comforterelizabeth boyD

Admit it: We all have some memory that con-nects us to the past.

4 Letters

7 Page 7

8 World News & Perspectives

13 Give & Take

23 Introducing the Why

27 Searching the Obvious

31 Reflections

16 28 12 6

Through the FireFrom Peru, a story of faithfulness

In an age of flowcharts and lines of authority, it’s im-portant to remember that Jesus led by serving.

ARTICLES DEPARTMENTS 6 bill knott

Springtime in the Soul

7 wilona kariMabaDiInto Dark Places

COVER FEATURE EDITORIALS

ON THE COVER

NExT WEEK

Publisher General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®, Executive Publisher Bill Knott, Associate Publisher Claude Richli, Publishing Board: Ted N. C. Wilson, chair; Benjamin D. Schoun, vice chair; Bill Knott, secretary; Lisa Beardsley-Hardy; Daniel R. Jackson; Robert Lemon; Geoffrey Mbwana; G. T. Ng; Daisy Orion; Juan Prestol; Michael Ryan; Ella Simmons; Mark Thomas; Karnik Doukmetzian, legal adviser. Editor Bill Knott, Associate Editors Lael Caesar, Gerald A. Klingbeil, Coordinating Editor Stephen Chavez, Online Editor Carlos Medley, Features Editor Sandra Blackmer, Young Adult Editor Kimberly Luste Maran, KidsView Editor Wilona Karimabadi, Operations Manager Merle Poirier, Financial Manager Rachel Child, Editorial Assistant Marvene Thorpe-Baptiste, Marketing Director Claude Richli, Editor-at-Large Mark A. Finley, Senior Advisor E. Edward Zinke, Art Director Bryan Gray, Design Daniel Añez, Desktop Technician Fred Wuerstlin, Ad Sales Glen Gohlke, Subscriber Services Steve Hanson. To Writers: Writer’s guidelines are available at the adventist review Web site: www.adventistreview.org and click “About the Review.” For a printed copy, send a self-addressed envelope to: Writer’s Guidelines, adventist review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600. E-mail: [email protected]. Web site: www.adventistreview.org. Postmaster: Send address changes to adventist review, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740-7301. Unless otherwise noted, Bible texts in this issue are from the holy bible, new international Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Unless otherwise noted, all prominent photos are © Thinkstock 2014. The Adventist Review (ISSN 0161-1119), published since 1849, is the general paper of the Seventh-day Adventist® Church. It is published by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists® and is printed 36 times a year on the second, third, and fourth Thursdays of each month by the Review and Herald® Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Periodical postage paid at Hagerstown, MD 21740. Copyright © 2014, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 191, No. 7.

Subscriptions: Thirty-six issues of the weekly adventist review, US$36.95 plus US$28.50 postage outside North America. Single copy US$3.00. To order, send your name, address, and payment to adventist review subscription desk, Box 1119, Hagerstown, MD 21741-1119. Orders can also be placed at Adventist Book Centers. Prices subject to change. Address changes: [email protected]. OR call 1-800-456-3991, or 301-393-3257. Subscription queries: [email protected]. OR call 1-800-456-3991, or 301-393-3257.

| www.AdventistReview.org | March 13, 20144 (196)

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J a n u a r y 2 3 , 2 0 1 4

Vol. 191, No. 3

adventist survives

home Invasion

Into all the World

When a Vandal

slashed My Tires

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January 23, 2014

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Letters FroM our readers

inboxI ask on behalf of all the

tagged and tainted that this unique church think long and hard about the conse-quences of tagging and taint-ing, not only in terms of loss of membership and financial support for the church, but, more important, in terms of human loss, loss of church friends, loss of “belonging,” and, even more important, loss in terms of the spiritual life of the tagged and tainted. It’s hard to be out there on your own.

TAGGED AND TAINTED

» In his editorial Bill Knott points out that there are honest people, and good people, on both sides of the debate. He points out that it is wrong to demonize those who have different views from our own, and he calls on us to have the courage to “call out” or oppose this type of reaction.

I am in full agreement with Knott’s views on this matter. It is possible for sin-cere Christians to have views different from each other—and holding such views does not automatically make them lovers of evil.

COURTENAY HAREBOTTLE

Gauteng, South Africa

Poems, Thoughts, and Friends

» What a blessing to be a loved member of the Ad-ventist Review global family!

Especially dear to my 85-year-old heart: Give & Take’s page “Prodigal,” a poem by friend Tom Green, and “Think About It,” by cousin Marie Smith (Feb. 13, 2014); Inbox letters from friends Pastor Jerry Lastine and Chaplain Mike Hansen (Dec. 12, 2013, and other recent issues).

TED GREEN

Parker Adventist Hospital, Parker, Colorado

Tacit Approval » Tim Ponder’s article “How

Much Do the Games Cost?” (Jan. 23, 2014) is great. When a person watches games such as the ones mentioned in the article, they are giving tacit approval to something that Ellen White states Satan invented—and they’re also

giving approval to the unconscionable salaries paid to some of the players. A newspaper article I read Feb-ruary 2, 2014, stated that Percy Harvin, a leading Seat-tle Seahawks player, had signed a six-year contract that guaranteed $25.5 mil-lion but could give him as much as $67 million.

Watching also gives tacit approval to the often scantily clad cheerleaders and to the many hours it takes to watch a game. George Knight stated in his book Myths in Advent-ism that “spectatorism is one of the most serious diseases of modern society” and is “the antithesis of Christian concern and action” (p. 225).

For a number of years I have noted in the Review, either in articles or letters to the editor, mention of favor-ite teams or sports. Are these the things that should be tak-ing up the time and thoughts of the followers of Jesus?

In Fundamentals of Christian Education Ellen White writes, “I cannot find an instance in the life of Christ where He devoted time to play and amusement. He was the great Educator for the pres-ent and the future life” (p. 229). White did recognize the propriety of play for chil-dren. We have to study her

Tagged and Tainted

» After I read Bill Knott’s edi-torial “Tagged and Tainted” (Feb. 13, 2014), it occurred to me that lots of tagging and tainting goes on at many lev-els within the church. At least that has been my expe-rience, and that of many other families I know who, like myself, no longer wor-ship within the Adventist Church—and who for many and varied reasons no longer attend church at all.

If one happens to be Bap-tist, Presbyterian, Anglican, Assemblies of God, or what-ever else, one can very easily just hop around, as they all basically believe the same stuff, worship on the same day, and life goes on. But for a Sabbath believer, no such opportunity exists, and once “tagged and tainted,” there is no alternative, nowhere to turn. When someone is hurt enough to leave, or the church for whatever reason decides to play judge and jury, there is nowhere else to go—the person is con-demned to isolation.

“It is possible for sincere Christians to

have views different from each other—

and holding such views does not auto-

matically make them lovers of evil.” —COURTENAY HAREBOTTLE, Gauteng, South Africa


sins forgiven since we often erroneously think of our-selves as lesser sinners. Sala-zar rightly shows how the divine Spirit must do for us what Simon the Pharisee had not let Him do. My greatest sin is the lack of love for the lost, the least, and the love-less around me. Then as Kathy-Ann C. Hernandez shares in her article “Broken and Beautiful,” we can be more fully accepted regard-ing others and ourselves. I praise God for both concepts.

JOHN F. SPEYER, JR.

Cool, California

Red Intrepid » Three reasons I liked Bill

Knott’s editorial “Red Intrepid” (Dec. 12, 2013):

1. The editor walks—that’s a good example for all of us.

2. He is transparently sen-

writings to find the proper balance for all of us on this issue.

ZENUS ALFA BANDA

via e-mail

A Few Words » Hyveth Williams’ article

“A Few Words About Jesus” (Jan. 16, 2014) was absolutely amazing. What a magnificent Lord and Savior we have! This article would be power-ful to meditate on each day as we wait for our coming Savior. Great job!

ELLEN PERRY

Sonora, California

Into all the World » As chairman of the board

for IDE-GO (Instituto de Dis-seminação do Evangelho), Gospel Outreach for Brazil, I was happy to read the article “Into All the World,” by Kevin Waite (Jan. 23, 2014), member of the board of Gos-pel Outreach (GO), in College Place, Washington. I fell in love with this organization and its volunteers during my summers in College Place. I’ve tried to help to translate some materials into Portu-guese for Brazil, was a mem-ber of the board for a while, and am now helping the United States and Canada to reach nearly 3 billion people in the 10/40 window who don’t know Jesus.

As General Conference (GC) president Ted N. C. Wil-son said, these national workers know the language and the culture and can start immediately sharing the gos-pel in their countries. India has about 500 indigenous workers and has become one of the largest countries in membership.

IDE-GO Brazil is reaching Portuguese-speaking coun-tries in Africa and in unen-tered areas of the Amazon region. The GC and the South American Division are supporting this ministry, and we pray that, as in India, we can reach many families with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As GO president Dan Preas said, 75 percent of baptisms in many areas of the 10/40 window are cred-ited to the more than 2,000 Bible workers of Gospel Outreach.

LEO RANZOLIN

Estero, Florida

Loving the Lost—and the Broken

» I loved Janet Salazar’s arti-cle “Simon the Pharisee and Me” (Jan. 16, 2014) because she highlights something important: wrestling with the issue of gratitude for

sitive to the need for bold witness.

3. His use of subtle word-play—at least that’s what I saw in the title “Red Intrepid.” It’s not about a car but about Knott’s witness that transitioned from (red) embarrassment to (Intrepid) courage. I think it’s brilliant.

STEVE COOK

Wildwood, Georgia

Going Somewhere » I just finished reading

Kimberly Luste Maran’s “Going Somewhere” (Dec. 26, 2013). It struck a chord in me because I too had a grand-mother who was diagnosed with dementia. She passed away in 2001. Maran’s expe-riences echoed my own. Those experiences affect us and change us, and I am glad that Maran was able to derive a positive message from such an experience.

May God bless and keep Maran as she continues to share insights with us.

KENDALL BEAMAN

Stone Mountain, Georgia

We welcome your letters, noting, as always, that inclusion of a letter in this section does not imply that the ideas expressed are endorsed by either the editors of the Adventist Review or the General conference. short, specific, timely letters have the best chance at being published (please include your complete address and phone number—even with e-mail messages). letters will be edited for space and clarity only. send correspondence to letters to the editor, Adventist Review, 12501 old columbia Pike, silver spring, MD 20904-6600; internet: [email protected].

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Editorials

Bill Knott

Editorials

springtime in the soulIT USUALLY BEGINS WITH LIGHT—WHEN A WARM SHAFT OF LATE afternoon briefly discovers the narrow pane that passes for a window at the top of my office wall. Had I the courage, I would make a mark on the off-white Sheetrock to note the angle where sunlight first penetrates my gray interior each March—a sundial of sorts to help me track the seasons. The familiar bookshelves fleetingly glow with amber, reminding me of the wide, warm world outside. And I draw a breath rich with memory and grace from more than 40 years ago. It is spring again—sunlit, blessed spring again—in the season and in the soul.

Somewhere, far from Silver Spring, creamy white bloodroot blossoms and yellow adder’s-tongues are poking through the fallen leaves on the south-facing bank of a middling Yankee stream. The earliest of the early robins strut and pose among the mosses and the fiddleheads, listening for the stirrings in the warming soil. I loiter by the creek, wrapped in the sound of moving water and all the inarticulate but reassuring noises that witness to the resurrection of the earth. This is a sacred space: this is a sanctuary. None may enter here save the conse-crated, the baptized.

I still keep within arm’s reach that much-underlined copy of the Living New Testament I read beside that waterfall when I was young, knowing I will need reminders of hopeful, forward-leaning hours on days dull with committees. Memory—holy memory—traces the lines that stirred a teenager’s heart for God: “He was before all else began and it is his power that holds everything together” (Col. 1:17, TLB).* “Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done” (Col. 2:7, TLB).

In such words and images we relearn the confidence that once was ours—in Christ, in His life-giving power, in resurrection after years ill-spent in January and jaundice. Beside such streams we touch the memories of baptism and rebirth, glad that our decades of mistakes and sins are being quietly carried to the depths of some far-distant ocean. Who doesn’t need a springtime of the soul, at whatever moment in the calendar? Whose life with God is so consistently alive that it requires no quickening? “Revive me” is the cry of every heart in which the Spirit moves. “Renew me” is the song we sing, with oft-repeating chorus.

This is why the church needs testimonies—because the testifiers need that holy moment of recalling “the providences of God.” We stand to speak, we say, for the sake of others, for the encouragement we think our story brings to other blighted lives. But then we find—in grace, through grace—that we are those most blessed by what we’ve said. Our memories of conversion prove to be the streambeds in which the Spirit’s waters flow again, and we are brought back hap-pily to riverbank encounters with the Lord we pledged to follow. “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High” (Ps. 46:4, KJV).

Your sacred place, the holy memory of when you gave yourself to Jesus, is worth visiting and retelling, and not only in sunlight or in springtime. Whether you have walked with Jesus 40 years or only 40 days, “re-mind” yourself of when you gave your life to Him. Retell the story, preferably to someone younger in the faith, and find your own heart “strangely warmed,” whatever the weather or the season.

Don’t let another Sabbath pass without revisiting the story of your springtime. Tell someone else where flowers grow, where robins sing, where you were healed in holy joy. This is the duty that you owe—to others, and to your life with Christ. n

* Verses marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Ill. Used by permission.

P H OTOS : DAV I D K N OT T

Into Dark PlacesGUILLAUME NéRY IS A WORLD CHAMPION FREE DIVER. FREE DIVING IS a sport in which divers descend to deep depths without scuba gear or any other sort of underwater breathing apparatus. This involves breath holds of up to 11 minutes or so (records change yearly as enthusiasts seek to break them).

Néry’s underwater exploits made the rounds on Facebook in a video that shows him BASE-jumping underwater at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas. Dean’s Blue Hole is the world’s largest underwater sinkhole and boasts a depth of 663 feet. The video—shot by Néry’s girlfriend—was filmed over the course of four afternoons, and is more of an “artistic fiction,”* in that reaching that distance on a single breath is impossible.

In the short film Néry wades into clear, blue waters until he is totally submerged. He then proceeds to the rim of a deep black hole with zero visibility, seemingly without end. He soon pushes off and dives straight down into the darkness before eventually resurfacing. Truthfully, it’s kind of terrifying.

We’ve all been there—not to Dean’s Blue Hole, that is. But to places where we’ve walked in rela-tive calm until we reach a precipice that plunges straight down into darkness. If we can avoid it, we do. But sometimes we have no choice but to go in headfirst. In those moments there is no need for trusty breathing equipment or safety divers, for the psalmist’s words ring true. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4).

Don’t be afraid of the dark places of life, for we never go alone—not now, not ever. n

* http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/08/guillaume-nery-base-jumpi_n_604183.html.

Wilona Karimabadi

Seasons of Our Lives

Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, p. 35

The beauty in the way God designed the four seasons is that,

though each one is distinct, they all work together to bring life and growth. Spring is a period of freshness and new life. Summer sees growth and productivity. Autumn is a time for harvesting the rewards of past labors. Winter is the season of dormancy and closure. Each season has its own unique

beauty and makes a significant contribution to life. Just as God planned seasons in nature, He planned seasons in life as well. Life has its springtime, when we begin new things and look excitedly toward the future. Summer comes and we work diligently in the heat of the day at all that God has assigned to us. With autumn comes the fruition of things begun at an earlier time in our lives. Winter brings an

end to a particular period in our lives. Sometimes winter brings hardship, but we remain hopeful, for another spring is just around the corner! In God’s perfect design for our lives, He has planned for times of fruitfulness and activity. He will also build in times of quiet and rest. There will be times when He asks us to remain faithful doing the same work day after day. But there will also be

periods of excitement and new beginnings. By God’s grace, we will enjoy seasons of harvesting the fruit of our faithfulness. By God’s grace, we will also overcome the cold winters of heartache and grief, for without winter there would be no spring. Just as it is with the seasons of nature, these seasons in our lives work together to bring about God’s perfect will for each one of us.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/08/guillaume-nery-base-jumpi_n_604183.html


n Wo r l d C h u r C h

Innovation Key to New Attention economy, Media experts sayAdventist tech, communication conference highlights need for “creation mind-set”BY: ELIZABETH LECHLEITNER/ANN

PUSHING THE boundaries is no longer enough. Seventh-day Adventist tech and media professionals at this year’s Global Adventist Internet Network (GAiN) con-ference were challenged to leave the boundaries in the rearview mirror or risk becoming irrelevant.

Speaking at morning worship on Feb-ruary 13, Pardon Mwansa, a general vice president for the Adventist world church, told hundreds of Web profes-sionals that the “boundary mind-set” and the “expansion mind-set” are limit-ing the scope of Adventist mission and ministry. A boundary mind-set is throt-tled by traditions; an expansion mind-set is content to reimagine those traditions. What’s needed instead, he said, is a “creation mind-set.”

“It’s easier to go where others have already been. But who is it who has improved this world? People who have broken the boundaries,” Mwansa said, citing early explorers, civil rights lead-ers, and tech innovators.

“We will not get anywhere with a boundary mind-set,” he told 400 GAiN participants meeting at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum Heights, Mary-land, United States.

Author and marketing consultant Martha Gabriel amplified that idea in her February 14 keynote, describing what she called “simplicity plateaus,” where an organization stagnates at a level of technology they have mastered. “We can’t stay here. Know the next level you need to conquer,” she said.

And, perhaps more important, she added, know your audience. In today’s “attention economy,” messages com-pete for relevance, Gabriel said.

“You need to understand what makes your audience’s hearts beat faster. If

you are not part of the message they want to hear, you are part of the noise,” she said.

Organizations that thrive in the atten-tion economy know that the currency of ideas and information is no longer enough to succeed. “Ideas alone are worthless. What we need now are peo-ple who make things happen,” Gabriel said.

For Adventist pastor Sam Neves and a development team from the British Union Conference, that meant not wait-ing for the church to get behind a comic book-style trivia game called Heroes.

The first Seventh-day Adventist game

for iPhone and iPad, Heroes was down-loaded 3,000 times in the first 48 hours of its release, tripling the benchmark analysts say a mobile app should meet in its first week to be considered successful.

On the final day of GAiN, the General Conference Youth Ministries Depart-ment signed a deal to help support the Android release of Heroes.

The game reintroduces players to heroic biblical characters—such as Abraham, David, and Esther—while testing their Bible knowledge with quiz questions. Players can compare scores with their friends on Facebook. At GAiN, a demo of the game pitted players from the church’s Trans-European Division with other divisions.

“We realized that to bring a sense of identity to a new generation, we needed to remind them of who their heroes are,” Neves said. “And what better way than to use a medium they are very familiar with?”

Indeed, said Daryl Gungadoo, distri-bution and network engineer for Ad-ventist World Radio Europe, “gamification” is the new frontier, and successful companies will find ways to engage their audience with games.

He cited an example from Sweden, where a marketing campaign from Volkswagen turned the oft-loathed speed cameras into a lottery, where people who drive the speed limit are automatically entered into a pool to win the fines paid by motorists who speed.

Another presenter challenged the popular adage that “content is king” in social media. Sonja Kovacevic, content manager of LIFEconnect in the church’s Trans-European Division, proposed

World News & Perspectives

CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO: Mar-tha Gabriel, a best-selling author and mar-keting consultant, addressed the GAiN conference in Baltimore.

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HAPPY ENDING: World church president Ted Wilson speaks with Togo pastor Anto-nio Monteiro, who was released from prison in part because of social media.

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that instead, “the audience is king.”“[Our audience] prefers to trust

someone they know. And they come to know us when we offer useful content. They come to like us when they enjoy our content. And they come to trust us when our content is credible, consis-tent, and free,” Kovacevic said.

Brazilian businessman and philan-thropist Milton Soldani Afonso received this year’s NetAward from Adventist Church president Ted N. C. Wilson. Afonso was key in establishing and funding the Adventist Church’s use of media outreach in South America.

“Even more than his money, his vision for the church in communication and

technology has been his greatest contri-bution,” said Williams Costa, General Conference communication director.

This year’s GAiN conference also fea-tured a presentation by Antonio Mon-teiro, who was released in January from prison in Togo after nearly two years of detainment. Monteiro and four others were imprisoned on charges of conspir-acy to commit murder in a case that captured the attention of the Adventist world church.

In December 2012 a social media campaign calling for a day of prayer helped raise awareness of the situation in Togo. Facebook followers interacted with “Pray for Togo” content more than

50,000 times, while the Twitter event hashtag reached more than 7 million users. Later, a Change.org petition to release Monteiro gathered more than 60,000 signatures.

Monteiro received thousands of Christmas cards during a December 2013 campaign to encourage Adventists in prison on false charges and forced to spend the holidays separated from family.

“I told my wife, ‘We will plaster them onto a wall in our home,’ ” Monteiro said, thanking his world church family for their support during an ordeal he says both tested and strengthened his faith. n

n N o rt h A m e r i C A

evangelist Don Gray Dies at 87BY SANDRA BLACKMER

DON GRAY, a longtime Seventh-day Adventist evangelist, died January 11, 2014, in Portland, Oregon. He was 87.

Gray, born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, in 1926, was known throughout the church for his work in soul winning and evangelism. An ordained minister, he first served as pastor of several small churches in rural Oregon. He then began holding evangelistic meetings in tents, and incorporating visual media with his sermons—a method he found to be effective in sharing the gospel message.

Don and Marjorie, his wife of 65 years, traveled to such countries as Russia, China, and Europe to promote evangelism for the Adventist Church. They worked closely with It Is Written, Voice of Prophecy, Pacific Press Pub-lishing Association, and numerous other church organizations in their worldwide witnessing and evangelistic efforts. Don was a pioneer in the multimedia approach to communication and witnessing, at one point overseeing the It Is Written Advent Digital Media project to produce cutting-edge evangelistic graphics.

Don and Marjorie also wrote seven books on witnessing and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. The

development of their most effective tool, however, took place in the early 1960s when they wrote a set of 24 Bible lessons. During the next few decades these lessons were translated into more than 76 languages, eventually pro-

duced as CDs and DVDs with animation and graphic illustrations, and distrib-uted worldwide. Gray is also responsi-ble for establishing a number of local Adventist churches.

In 2011 the North Pacific Union and Oregon conferences jointly awarded Gray a plaque of accomplishment, on which they referred to him as “the Unstoppable Don Gray.”

In June 2010 Marjorie died from complications of Alzheimer’s.

“[Don] was a devoted husband, lov-ing father, and a true witness for Christ,” his son, Randy Gray, says. “I am proud to call him my father. He was truly a great man.”

Along with their son, Randy, the Grays also had a daugh-ter, Donna.

Don is survived by his son, Randy; a sister, Helen Winkle; and a granddaughter. His daughter, Donna Stannard, died in 2007. n

—information provided by Randy Gray

ADVENTIST EVANGELIST: Don Gray

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n G e r m A N y

Change of Leadership at Voice of HopeON AUGUST 1, 2014, Klaus Popa will replace current CEO of Germany’s Voice of Hope (Stimme der Hoffnung), Matth-ias Müller. Popa studied in Germany, Austria, Great Britain, and the Nether-lands. He holds academic degrees in graphic design and theology, and gained practical experience as a pastor and counselor. He has been working at Voice of Hope since 2006 and was called to serve as deputy chief executive officer in 2013.

Matthias Müller has served as the CEO since 2002. He will serve as depart-mental director for communication and personal ministries in the Hansa Con-ference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hamburg, Germany. Müller will still work with Hope Channel and support Stimme der Hoffnung as an

external consultant.Another generational change will

happen on August 1, 2014, when Sven Fockner will become director of the international Bible correspondence school, a department of Voice of Hope. Fockner studied theology and philoso-phy in Austria, the United States, and Germany, and served from 2013 as assistant department director of the institute.

Fockner will replace Siegfried Wittwer, who has served as the director of the Bible correspondence school since 1994. Wittwer will continue work-ing with the institute until his retire-ment in 2015.

Both Müller and Wittwer welcome the decisions made by the board of directors of Voice of Hope, entrusting

key leadership roles to a new generation of committed Adventist pastors. These appointments will send a signal to a younger generation and keep the dynamic of the European Media Center alive.

The European Media Center in Als-bach-Hähnlein (Hesse, Germany), in addition to the international Bible cor-respondence school, runs a service for the blind ministry as well as Hope Channel, radio, and TV.

The European Media Center is owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which operates in more than 208 coun-tries, serving more than 18 million members in 70,000 churches. n

PASSING THE TORCH: Klaus Popa (right) will soon lead Germany’s Voice of Hope, taking over from Matthias Mueller.

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n So u t h PAC i f i C

Australian team Completes “Fly and Build” trip to MyanmarSOUTH PACIFIC DIVISION RECORD

A TEAM of 19 Australians, led by Wolf-gang Jenke and his wife, Lyn Joy, went on a “fly and build” trip to Myanmar late last year. The purpose of the trip was to build three bathroom/shower blocks for Mountain View Adventist Seminary near Toungoo. The seminary is directed by Alvin Hla and currently has 380 students.

Without earthmoving machinery, wheelbarrows, and most of the power tools taken for granted in modern con-struction work, the team built all three facilities on time, with the dedicated work of all the students. They did all the

earthmoving for each site, helped dig three large septic tanks with 50 meters of leach drain each, carried 6,000 cement blocks to the building sites, and mixed the concrete and mortar. The team also learned how to weld and lay blocks.

Each evening Jenke and Ben Kosmeier,

district pastor, ran two evangelistic meetings, which resulted in 76 baptisms on the final Sabbath. “It was absolutely fantastic. All our thanks goes to God for His enabling grace and protection,” said Jenke.

To read more about the mission trips, visit www.jenkemission.org. n

CONSTRUCTION VACATION: A goup of Australian Adventists join believers at Mountain View Adventist Seminary at the end of their stay.

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Charles richard taylor DiesLong career of support for Seventh-day Adventist ChurchREPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CHATTANOOGAN.COM.

CHARLES RICHARD Taylor, 92, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, died on Tuesday, February 18, 2014. He was born November 2, 1921, in São Paulo, Brazil.

The son of missionary parents, George and Gladys Taylor, Charles spent his childhood in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. He returned to the States to finish high school and attended Pacific Union College, graduating in 1942. He married June Laura Hulbert on August 20 of that year, then served a short time as an evangelist in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1943 he accepted a position at what was to become Antillian College in Santa Clara, Cuba. For the next 32 years he worked in the Inter-American Division of Seventh-day Adventists as teacher, youth leader, school administrator, and division

education secretary.Taylor received a Ph.D. in

education from the Univer-sity of Maryland in 1965. In 1975 he was elected to a position in the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Washington, D.C. He was an associate secretary and then secretary of the General Con-ference Education Department. Later he worked as assistant to Neal Wilson, president of the General Conference. He was instrumental in the founding of Global Mission.

He is survived by his wife, June; one son, David Charles Taylor; two daughters, Myrna Jean Taylor and Donna June Evans; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. n


Churches Lead in Massive Global OutreachBY KIM PECKHAM, Review and Herald Publishing Association

THIS IS a story about a guy who had never read a book for most of his life, and the couple who sent him a 384-page vol-ume about Bible prophecy.

The book, of course, is The Great Con-troversy. Ellen White’s book is part of a worldwide outreach movement that has gathered so much momentum in the past three years that it has left some people stunned and surprised.

General Conference (GC) vice presi-dent Delbert Baker remembers when his boss, GC president Ted Wilson, asked him to lead an effort to share The Great Controversy. They decided to set an ambitious goal of sharing 50 million copies of the book worldwide by the end of 2013. “Then Elder Wilson men-tioned in a meeting that his personal prayer goal for the project was 100 mil-lion,” recalls Baker. “We were still trying to wrap our arms around the 50 million number!”

Baker says that what happened next was a small miracle. “Hundreds of thousands of Adventists sacrificed to

distribute the book to their friends.” Among them were Stan and Andrea Kot-low who live in Maine, near the Cana-dian border. Both had joined the church in part because of The Great Controversy. When they heard about the project, they wanted to get involved. “We’re not good at sharing door to door,” says Stan. “But we thought this was something we could do.”

They arranged with the Review and Herald Publishing Association in Hag-erstown, Maryland, to send the book to several thousand homes in their area. It would have been too much for them to afford, except for an act of providence in their own backyard. The wild blueberry bushes on their property brought forth a huge harvest that raised more than $6,000. They earmarked the windfall for outreach.

That’s why Phil McVicar in nearby Alexander, Maine, got a copy of The Great Controversy in his mailbox. “We couldn’t figure out where the book came from or why we got it,” he says.

McVicar is the kind of guy who loves the outdoors more than sitting in a chair reading. “I never read a complete book until I was 55 years old,” he admits. But God had been preparing him. Involvement with Amway had prompted him to start reading motiva-tional books. Soon, he actually enjoyed reading.

After The Great Controversy had sat in his bathroom for about a year, McVicar felt God working on his heart. “I’ve got to get up a little earlier to read this book,” he said to himself. He deter-mined he would read two or three pages a day. Then it became five pages a day. Then more. He was fascinated and noticed how it seemed to fit with Bible preaching that he had heard on an early-morning program called Amazing Facts.

Meanwhile, the church he attended with his wife, Vicki, left them feeling empty. “The preacher would tell us what we wanted to hear, not what we needed to know,” says Phil. “I never

CHARLES TAYLOR

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rita Hoshino, Widely Known for e. G. White Portrayals, Dies at 58BY JULIE Z. LEE

RITA HOSHINO, mentor to thousands of students at Pacific Union College and Mountain View Academy, passed away unexpectedly from complications of kidney disease and pneumonia on February 10, 2014. She was 58.

Hoshino, who grew up in Sunnyvale, California, and resided in Angwin, Cali-fornia, is a graduate of Miramonte Christian School, Mountain View Acad-emy (MVA), and Pacific Union College (PUC). She began working at PUC immediately after graduation. Eventu-ally becoming assistant dean of stu-dents, she oversaw the college Campus Center and Student Association, work-ing closely with clubs and student leaders. During her 23 years of service at the college, Hoshino was a beloved mentor and friend to thousands of students. She had a vivid memory and remembered names and details about everyone she met, earning her the nickname “Rita Rolodex.”

Following her career at PUC, Hoshino was the alumni/advancement director at MVA. It was after this that Hoshino began investing in what had previously been only a hobby: portraying Ellen G. White. Because of her resem-blance to the Seventh-day Adventist Church cofounder, Hoshino had often been asked to portray Ellen White at various functions. The first invitation was during her teen-age years, when Hoshino was asked to play a young Ellen at an event for Pacific Press Publishing Association, where her

father was employed. She eventually created the Ellen White Legacy, a ministry devoted to sharing White’s work through dramatic enactments.

Hoshino’s portrayal of Ellen White took her across the nation, bringing “Ellen” back to life for such events as St. Helena Hospital’s 125th anniversary celebration, the Hiram Edson Farm dedication, Loma Linda University Medical Center’s cen-tennial anniversary, and the 2010 Gen-eral Conference session in Atlanta, Georgia. She was also a favorite at Pathfinder camporees, church services, schools, and camp meetings.

With the approval of the Ellen G. White Estate, Hoshino was invited to be a representative of Adventist Heri-tage Ministry.

Hoshino’s hope was to grow the Ellen White Legacy ministry into an educational tool for youth and young adults. The ministry Web site (www.ellenwhitelegacy.com) states, “The ministry of the Ellen White Legacy is committed to presenting the life and

person of Ellen White in a realistic, respectful way, hop-ing to encourage audiences to return to the real woman who inspired millions. Our ultimate goal is to point con-gregations not to Ellen White, but to the Jesus she so adored.”

Hoshino is survived by her brother, Dennis Hoshino; niece, Laren James; and nephew, Brent West-Hoshino. n

PORTRAYING ELLEN WHITE: Because of her resemblance to Ellen White, Rita por-trayed the Adventist Church cofounder at numerous events.

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learned how to get into the Bible or even how to navigate it,” adds Vicki.

Convicted of the Sabbath truth, the McVicars just showed up one Sabbath morning at the Calais church. They were welcomed and immediately felt at home. The pastor, Arnet Mathers, answered all their questions directly from the Bible. In September 2011 Mathers and the

McVicars waded into the chilly waters of Howard Lake for their baptism.

Churches in northern New England have been leaders in the Great Contro-versy Project, working with the Review and Herald to mail a quarter million copies of the book to local zip codes. Worldwide, enthusiasm for the project had resulted in almost tripling Ted Wil-

son’s original goal. “We had a thanks-giving service at the GC in October when we reported that a total of 142 million copies have been shared around the globe,” says Baker. “I have not found a record of any denomination handing out this many books in a two-year period. This has been an extremely blessed project.” n


Sound BIte

adventISt lIfe

The theme for our Cradle Roll department program was “Creation.” The class had gone through the first six days, singing songs about all the things God had made. As the leader, I reviewed what God had given us on each day of the week—light on the first day, air on the second, etc. Then I said, “And God saved the best for last. On the seventh day He created the best gift of all. Do you remember what that was?”

Three-year-old Logan threw up his hands and called out, “Pizza!”—CHARLOTTE ERICKSON, battle creek, MichiGan

“if you want to have adventure, stand up for Christ!”—PASTOR LUTz BINUS, DurinG a

serMon at the sPrinGfielD

seVenth-Day aDVentist church in

oreGon

health tIp

Garlic (allium sativum) is a member of the lily family (along with leeks, onions, shallots, and chives). It originated in central Asia, and has been cultivated worldwide for millennia. Garlic has been used through-out the centuries as both food and medicine.

Garlic has a strong antimicrobial action. It can lower lipid levels and inhibit blood clots. It can also enhance the immune sys-tem. Garlic can help maintain good health—the recommended amount of con-sumption is about one clove (four grams of fresh garlic) daily. Some people are allergic to garlic and suffer gastrointestinal dis-tress. Large amounts should be avoided, because of possible heartburn and stom-ach upset.—inforMation froM VIBRANT LIFE, www.

Vibrantlife.coM/?P=88

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During the weekend of March 13 and 14, 1858, James and Ellen White attended meetings in a schoolhouse at Lovett’s Grove, now Bowling Green, Ohio. After James conducted a funeral there on Sunday (March 14), Ellen stood up to offer comforting words to the mourners. Soon after she started talking, she began receiving a vision. For two hours God gave Ellen what Adventists now call the Great Controversy vision.

The Whites started home the next day, both intent on getting home quickly so Ellen could write the vision out as soon as possible. On the way Ellen suffered a stroke—after earnest prayer she regained enough strength to return home to Battle Creek, Michigan. Even though she was still quite weak, her strength came back gradually each day, and she worked little by little on recording the vision. But it wasn’t until June that she was able to complete most of the manuscript. Eventually Ellen recovered fully from the stroke.—Material GathereD froM LIFE SKETCHES OF ELLEN G. WHITE, PP.

161-163


Authority in God’s Church

serving

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In order to thrive, every human society must establish its own organizational and authoritative structures. Eventually, if someone desires to know something about a

particular nation, family, or association, they are likely to inquire about the nature and use of its authority.

While organized on entirely different premises than a nation, family, or asso-ciation, the church is also a human soci-ety that must have organizational and authoritative structures in order to share its message, and thus fulfill the Great Commission given to it by Jesus.

Because of this, it’s reasonable to ask about the nature and use of authority within the community of believers. Ask-ing the right questions is of vital impor-tance, for much depends on the way authority is understood and exercised in the church. Even such foundational Christian teachings as the nature of God and salvation in part depend on the way authority is defined.

Any discussion of the nature of Chris-tian authority, however, tends to be muddied by our cultural context—the way we “see” the world. Our under-standing of authority is shaped by the way authority is exercised in our society.

For many people, the word “author-ity” carries very few positive connota-tions. But we acknowledged that various authoritative structures are essential, as they provide our society with continuity, stability, safety, and boundaries. Without some form of authority, no human society would or could exist; this includes the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

It’s the combination of our sinful nature and the abuse of authority, how-ever, that causes us to develop negative attitudes toward authority. Unfortu-nately, all too often, abuse disguised by the label “spiritual” happens in the church, the fellowship that Jesus estab-lished to be different from any other human society on earth.

In recent years the issue of authority has received much attention in Ad-ventist circles. As we have experienced the delay of the second coming of Christ, we’ve become increasingly con-

BY darIus JaNKIeWICZcerned with issues related to gospel order, organization, ranking, and pol-icy—all the while striving to be faithful to Scripture. The nature of authority and its use has surfaced most recently in discussions on the possible ordina-tion of women to the gospel ministry.

I’ve observed the debate for a number of years, and listened carefully to both sides. I find myself asking several ques-tions: Are we certain that we truly understand what we mean when we use the word “authority”? Am I possibly making the false assumption that when I utter the word “authority,” you know exactly what I mean, and vice versa? What informs our understanding of “authority”? Is it our culture (both sec-ular and religious), or is it careful atten-tion to the words of Jesus?

Jesus on the Authority of the Christian Leader

In order to exist and fulfill its mission, the church must have organization and leadership. Rather than modeling its organization upon secular structures of authority, as early post-apostolic Chris-tianity did, the church should first of all look to Jesus to search for ways in which authority in His church should be exer-cised. It is Christ who founded the church, and He knows best what Chris-tian authority is and how it should be exercised. His followers must take His teachings on authority seriously.

So what did Jesus have to say about authority?

I decided recently to re-read and think through the Gospel passages in which Jesus speaks about authority. His views are truly astounding. For most of us, immersed in hierarchically-oriented cultures, Jesus’ message continues to be counterintuitive and difficult to com-prehend, much less to accept. For this reason we tend to gloss over the pas-sages dealing with authority without much thought. And yet these passages, if understood and applied, have the potential to revolutionize our personal and communal lives.

During His earthly ministry Jesus’ disciples were frequently preoccupied with status and ranking in the kingdom of God. This is understandable, for their attitudes reflected the prevalent cul-tural and religious conceptions of authority. But the kingdom of God pro-claimed by Jesus presented such an astonishingly different understanding of Christian authority that it took the death of Jesus for His disciples to understand His teachings.1 Jesus’ teach-ings on the authority of Christian lead-ers are most crisply articulated in a conversation that found its way into the three Synoptic Gospels.

The Foundational Truth The story is well known. Two of Jesus’

disciples, John and James, approached Him with a request that they be seated on His right and left in His kingdom. It appears that these two assumed that the kingdom of Jesus would operate like other earthly institutions: their underly-ing desire was to have authority over others. Mark tells us that when the remaining 10 disciples heard about it, they became very angry, not because they had a different idea of “authority,” but because they themselves wanted such power as well. In response, Jesus gath-ered them together, and in the simplest terms explained the operational rules of the kingdom of God. His words are so striking that they must be quoted here:

“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them [katakurieusin], and their high officials exercise authority over them [katexousiazousin]. Not so with you!

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I believe that Jesus was keenly aware that His kingdom would be doomed if the disciples incorporated into it the authority structures seen in their con-temporary society. For His mission to succeed, all “pecking order” in the church had to be abolished. Murray Harris grasped this well: “Jesus was teaching that greatness in the commu-nity of his followers is marked by hum-ble, self-effacing servanthood or slavery, modeled on his own selfless devotion to

the highest good of others.”5 All this shows that Jesus certainly

didn’t seek to abolish all authority in the church; He just radically redefined it and distanced it from the kind of “authority” that advocated submission to a higher authority. Instead, the church was to be a place where those who desired to follow His example were willing to serve in the lowest positions. In Philippians 2:5-7 Paul thus states that “your attitude should be the same as that of “Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, . . . made himself noth-ing, taking the very nature of a servant.”

In the church of Jesus, therefore, it isn’t ordination to an office, a title, or a position that makes a leader, but the quality of a person’s life and his or her

willingness to be the least of all. Follow-ing His lead, the despised terms diako-nos and doulos later became the quasi-technical descriptions of apos-tolic and ministerial leadership in the church.

Two other Greek terms, exousia and dynamis, are commonly translated as “authority.” Exousia appears to be related to Jesus’ teaching ministry and His ability to forgive sins (e.g., Matt. 7:29; 9:6; Mark 1:22; Luke 4:32). The authority (exousia) that Jesus exercised brought words of life and healing to those who were willing to listen. Dyna-mis is usually associated with Jesus’ power to perform miracles and drive out demons (e.g., Luke 4:36; Luke 9:1).

Nowhere in the Gospels, however, do the terms exousia or dynamis appear to be associated with exercising any form of having authority over others in a spiritual sense. Such thinking simply wasn’t part of Jesus’ worldview.6 It is exousia and dynamis that Jesus bestowed upon the entire community of believ-ers—all of them—and it’s these two terms that are often confused with a secular understanding of ministerial or leadership “powers.”

There’s a remarkable and unique use of exousia in Matthew 28:18: “All author-ity in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus doesn’t hand over this authority to the disciples, for it can’t be done. This is the absolute authority of the almighty, omniscient, Creator God.7

And how does the almighty Creator God exercise His authority? Does He force His human subjects to be obedi-ent? Does He take away their free will? In Ephesians 5:1, 2 Paul provides an answer to the question of how God exercises His authority: “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved chil-dren and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” The absolute authority of Christ thus represents a supreme example of love, servanthood, and self-sacrifice.

So we see that the concept of authority in New Testament Christianity, founded upon the words and actions of Jesus,

Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave [doulos] of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).

In this concise passage Jesus presents us with two models of authority. The first is the Roman idea of authority. In this model, the elite stand hierarchically over others. They have the power to make decisions and expect submission from those below them. Jesus clearly rejected this model of authority when He stated, “Not so with you!” Instead He presented the disciples with a breathtakingly new model of authority, a thorough rejection, or reversal, of the hierarchical model with which they were familiar.

The concept of authority for Jesus was to be governed by two words: ser-vant (diakonos) and slave (doulos). From our modern perspective, these two words, often translated as “minister,” have lost much of their force.2 For a per-son familiar with ancient society and its institutions, however, Jesus’ words must have been appalling—so much so that the disciples were unable to under-stand Jesus’ words. Right up to the last moments of His life, during the Last Supper, they argued about “who is the greatest” (see Luke 22:24). They did so because, in the first-century culture, servants (diakonoi) and slaves (douloi) represented the lowest class of human beings, persons who had few rights and whose job was to listen and fulfill the wishes of those they served. Among slaves “there [was] no place for one’s own will or initiative.”3 “Ruling and not serving is proper to a man,” the ancient Greeks believed.4 Thus, whatever the metaphors of servant and slave were meant to convey, it certainly was not exercising authority, spiritual or other-wise, over others (katexousiazousin) or having status in the community.

Why did Jesus use these two metaphors if He could have compared His disciples with other leadership groups in society?

We see that the CoNCept oF

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despite his special position as an apostle of Christ, we see him wooing people to follow Christ, not through the authority of his “office” (an unbiblical term) but through the witness of his life. “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1; see also 1 Cor. 4:16; Phil. 3:17; 4:9; 1 Thess. 1:6; 2 Thess. 3:7).

With a clear conscience Paul was able to write to the Corinthians that when

his young disciple Timothy visits them, he would “remind [them] of [Paul’s] way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what [he taught] everywhere in every church” (1 Cor. 4:17). It was the way he lived his life, rather than his position, that resulted in Paul’s having genuine authority in the church.

In the context of being “slaves” in the church, the New Testament writers were remarkably egalitarian. Everyone could be a slave of the Lord! In Romans 12:11 Paul encouraged all believers to serve the Lord as His slaves (to kyrio douleuontes). In Galatians 5:13 he urged believers to “serve one another” as slaves (douelete) through love. Every believer was to serve as a doulos of Christ and of each other.

While all believers were called to be slaves of God and one another, this especially applied to leaders in the Christian community who, according to the teaching of Christ, were to consider themselves “the least of all,” and exam-ples to those under their care. Peter echoed Jesus when he wrote to the lead-ers in the church: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care . . . ; not lording it over [katakurieontes] those

entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2, 3). This was the primary reason Paul, James, and Peter often introduced themselves to their congregations as slaves (douloi) of Christ (Rom. 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1).

All this reminds us that New Testa-ment leadership was not about having “authority” over others, about having the “last word,” or having an “office.” Instead, it was all about having the atti-tude of Paul, Peter, and other leaders of the New Testament church, who led by the example of their devotion to their Lord and to each other. This was the bedrock of genuine Christian authority.8

When we see the church of God described in the pages of the New Testa-ment, we understand that it was decid-edly “non-elitist.” In His sayings Jesus focused on the non-elite of the day and proclaimed them to be the children of God (Matt. 5:3-8). He said to His follow-ers: “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. . . . The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matt. 23:8-11). In modern terms we could paraphrase this saying as follows: “But you are not to be called ‘pastor,’ ‘elder,’ ‘professor,’ or ‘doctor,’ for you have only one Master, and you are all brothers.” It’s truly unfortunate that in Christian history the lowly term “pastor” has become a symbol of status.

Paul’s favorite imagery for portraying the Christian community, i.e., the “body of Christ,” represented a remarkably non-elitist view of the church (1 Cor. 12:12-31; Rom. 12:1-8; Eph. 1:22). Cen-tral to this imagery were unity of the church and the church’s vital relation-ship with its Head, Jesus Christ. Paul’s insistence that the church functioned like a human body reminded believers that they were completely dependent upon Christ for their growth and life.

While unity and the headship of Christ were Paul’s main concern, his discussion of the church as the body of Christ was framed in an understanding of spiritual gifts. The recipients of spiri-tual gifts were all who were part of the body of Christ, and the unity of the body of Christ depended on the pres-

doesn’t represent any form of control over others where submission is expected. Clearly Jesus always allowed the exercise of free will. Instead of the exercising of authority over others, His kind of authority can be expressed in terms of serving others. He demon-strated this most forcefully when He knelt to wash the disciples’ feet and when He died on the cross, giving us a supreme example of the true understanding of Christian authority. According to Him, it’s not about status or having authority over others; it’s about being the least in the community of believers.

Only when we grasp the clear teach-ing of Jesus on this point will His church fulfill His vision for leadership.

The New Testament Church: A Unique Community

As a result of Jesus’ teachings, the New Testament church became a com-munity like no other. It was a commu-nity whose leaders refused any form of hierarchy that would place some above others. In fact, following Jesus’ example, the New Testament leaders proclaimed what we can only describe as a “reverse hierarchy.” “Following the lead of Jesus, its leaders routinely referred to them-selves as doulos and diakonos of both God and the church.

Accordingly, in 1 Corinthians 3:5 Paul writes: “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants (diakonoi), through whom you came to believe.” In 2 Corinthians 4:5 he emphatically declares: “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants (doulos).” We constantly find Paul lifting Christ and others up, while speaking of himself in such unflattering terms as “chief of sin-ners” (see 1 Tim. 1:15, KJV). Elsewhere he writes: “And last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apos-tle” (1 Cor. 15:8, 9).

While Paul was commissioned to pro-claim the gospel, to teach, exhort, and rebuke, it appears that he purposefully sought to avoid positioning himself in a role above his fellow believers. Instead, and

the ChurCh Was to be a plaCe Where those Who desIred

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WIllINg to serve IN the loWest

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ence, recognition, and use of these spiri-tual gifts (Eph. 4:1-13). Any exclusive claim to these gifts was precluded, because their distribution was depen-dent upon the Holy Spirit, and not on the church (1 Cor. 12:11). Any form of elitism was settled by Paul’s masterful discussion on the mutual interdepen-dence of believers who exhibited vari-ous spiritual gifts (verses 12-31).

Furthermore, in none of the four list-ings of spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:8-10, 28-30; Eph. 4:11) was Paul exclusive in any way. In Romans 12:8, for instance, the gifts of teaching and leadership were tucked in among other (seemingly insignificant) gifts. It would be impossible to claim, on the basis of this passage, that the gift of encouragement was lower on the scale of giftedness, while the gift of leader-ship was higher and thus could be endowed only upon a certain class of believers in the church. Certainly this couldn’t have been Paul’s intention.

Paul’s use of the body of Christ imag-ery helps us to understand the reality of the church and the way it should func-tion. In this kind of community all soli-darities of race, class, culture, and gender are replaced by an allegiance to Christ alone. The old way of relating is replaced by a new relatedness in Christ (Gal. 3:28, 29). In this community all people are equal members of the body of Christ, because all have experienced the risen Christ and all are gifted with a variety of spiritual gifts of equal value (1 Cor. 12), which are to be used for the benefit of believers and the world (Rom. 12:1-8).

In the church described in the New Testament, we don’t find a hierarchy in which some people rank above others according to status; neither do we find a division between ordained clergy and laity. What we see is a new community, the body of Christ, a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), where all relationships should hail back to the Garden of Eden.

The reality is that if anything other than commitment to Christ and His church, spiritual gifting, and maturity determines fitness for various func-tions in the church, then, whether we intend it or not, we create an elitist

community. No pious designations attached to the “office” of the church—such as “servant,” “spiritual authority,” “spiritual leadership,” or “spiritual headship”—can change this reality.

Answering the QuestionsOur God, who is a God of order, cre-

ated a world in which human beings, the crown of His creation, were to live according to the authoritative patterns that governed the universe prior to the creation of the earth. Then sin entered the world. The way God exercised His authority was challenged, and a coun-terfeit notion of authority was intro-duced. The precise reason Christ, God incarnate, came to this earth and founded a community like no other was to counteract the counterfeit notion of God’s authority. He accomplished it by

His life of divine slavery (douleia), which ultimately led Him to the cross.

Unfortunately, human beings, weak-ened by millennia of sin’s existence on this earth, returned to the old patterns of thinking soon after the death of His first disciples. Notwithstanding our devotion to Scripture, even we Seventh-day Ad-ventists have inherited from Christian tradition these patterns of thinking that are so tenaciously (and tragically) ingrained in the Christian faith.

It’s a common human experience to be attracted to those who exhibit genu-ine Christian authority, and to be repelled by the attitudes of those who

rely solely on the authority of their office. Ideally, genuine Christian author-ity and the authority of a representative function should be integrated. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with per-sons holding an office. Neither is there anything inherently wrong with the way our church is currently organized. However, while Jesus left us with no specific model of running the church, He was adamant that His church wouldn’t resemble secular structures, where authority was organized accord-ing to a “pecking order.”

I’m convinced that when we embrace His understanding of authority and ministry, Christ’s vision for His church will be fulfilled, and revival and refor-mation will follow.

The questions are insistent and unavoidable: Are we going to follow cul-ture, both secular and religious, which has taught us a hierarchical and elitist understanding of authority? Or are we going to follow Christ, who said, “Not so with you!”? n

1 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898), pp. 432-439, 550, 551.

2 James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), pp. 325, 326; M. Eugene Boring, Fred B. Craddock, The People’s New Testa-ment Commentary (Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), p. 151; John L. McKenzie, Authority in the Church (New York: Sheed and Ward, 1966), pp. 23, 24.

3 Karl Heinrich Rengstorf, “δουλος,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964), vol. 2, pp. 270, 261.

4 HermannW. Beyer, “διακονεω,” in Theological Dic-tionary of the New Testament, vol. 2, p. 82.

5 Murray J. Harris, Slave of Christ: A New Testament Metaphor for Total Devotion to Christ (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 102.

6 Clayton Sullivan, Rethinking Realized Eschatology (Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 1988), pp. 72, 73; Alan Richardson, The Miracle-Stories of the Gospels (London: SCM Press LTD., 1956), pp. 5, 6; McKenzie, p. 25.

7 John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew: A Commen-tary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), pp. 1263-1265.

8 See Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gos-pel Workers (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1923), pp. 361-364, 366.

DARIUS JANKIEWICz IS

PROFESSOR OF HISTORICAL

THEOLOGY AT THE SEVENTH-DAY

ADVENTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

AT ANDREWS UNIVERSITY, BERRIEN

SPRINGS, MICHIGAN.

Jesus Was adaMaNt that

hIs ChurCh WouldN’t reseMble seCular

struCtures, Where

authorIty Was orgaNIZed aCCordINg to a

“peCKINg order.”


the Middle spaceHOW CAN A PERSON—A PASTOR, NO LESS—JUST UP AND BECOME AN ATHEIST?

By now, you’ve likely heard that Ryan Bell, a former Seventh-day Adventist pastor, did exactly that. In case you’ve missed all the action, let me give you a quick recap.

In the spring of 2013 Bell was asked to resign his pastoral position because of foundational theological differences with the Adventist Church. Over the next few months Bell admittedly wrestled with his personal belief system, eventually writing a blog entry wondering if religion was “just a drug trip.”

To experience firsthand whether an active belief in God really mattered, Bell decided to explore athe-ism for an entire year. This meant he wasn’t going to pray, read the Bible, go to church, or hang out with Christian friends. To allow others to follow along, he registered the URL yearwithoutgod.com and began providing frequent updates about his experience.

A quick Google search will reveal a plethora of opinions on his experiment. While some applaud Bell for his courage, others see it as a contrived appeal for attention. Not surprisingly, the strongest views come from the two camps on opposite ends of the spectrum: Adventists and atheists.

As someone who has been blessed with a platform to share my personal journey in hopes of encour-aging and inspiring others, I have very strong feelings about the path Bell has chosen to take. That being said, too much venom has been spewed. As Christians, we have to remember our end goal (hint: it should be the same as Jesus’). The best each of us can do is pray for Bell and make a conscious effort to impact people within our circle of influence, especially those who may be struggling with their faith, positively.

Interestingly, in the early days of 2014 Bell’s plight became international news. In an interview with CNN’s Brooke Baldwin, Bell said something that captivated my attention: “I think the tendency that people have is to think of religion and faith in binary categories. So you’re either all of one thing or you’re all of another thing. So you’re either completely Christian and completely sold on all the ideas about being a Christian, or you’re an atheist and you’ve completely abandoned all faith. And I think the reality I’ve discovered . . . is that the vast majority of people are somewhere between those two polls, and I’m with them in that middle space.”

Believe it or not, I struggle in that middle space.Maybe you do too.The apostle Paul did, which is probably why he wrote these words: “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and

you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want” (Gal. 5:16, 17).

As sinful humans, you and I are bondservants to the lust of the flesh. According to Romans 3:12, we’re completely incapable of doing anything good on our own.

To overcome our carnal nature, we need a Savior that has the power to re-create us in His image, just as He first breathed life into Adam in the Garden of Eden.

The daily grind—the middle space—is the reality of the flesh and the Spirit colliding. We Adventists call this the great controversy.

As I read the writings of Ryan Bell, I’m saddened to see another person take his eyes off the true issue. While we are all on a journey, the solution is not to explore the desires of our flesh further. The real answer is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus every day, and through His power remove self from the equation altogether.

That’s the best way to leave the middle space for good. n

JIMMY PHILLIPS ([email protected]) IS DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS FOR SAN JOAqUIN COMMUNITY

HOSPITAL.

Introducing the Why

Jimmy Phillips



Adventist Life

BY REX D. EDWARDS

christians and other thought leaders have described medi-tation in numerous ways. Puritan Richard Baxter in The Saints’ Everlasting Rest called it

“a directory for the getting and keeping of the heart in heaven.”1 Quaker D. Elton Trueblood sees meditation as “a sacra-mental view of life, an openness to con-tinual revelation.”2 Jesuit Alfred Delp defined meditation as “a continuous Advent.”3 Author and theologian Rich-ard J. Foster suggests “Christian medita-tion leads us into the inner wholeness necessary to give ourselves to God freely.” He views it as a preparation for the work of prayer and fundamentally a way of listening to God and commun-ing with the Creator.4

In contrast to Eastern meditation, which seeks to empty the mind and merge with cosmic consciousness, Christian meditation seeks detachment from cultural confusion in order to have a deeper attachment to God. Christian meditation, therefore, is a potent rem-edy against the externalization of life. In meditation we do not think about the world or ourselves, but instead dwell on God and make resolutions that will draw us nearer to Him.

Meditation is a more advanced spiri-tual act than “saying prayers.” It actu-

ally may be likened to the attitude of a child who breaks into the presence of a mother, saying, “I’ll not say a word, if you will just let me stay here and watch you.” Meditation allows one to suspend the conscious fight against external diversions by an internal realization of the presence of God.

Delp’s StoryAlfred Delp was arrested by the

Gestapo in 1944 when he joined a secret group called the Kreisau Circle. Expect-ing Hitler’s defeat, this group planned a new social order to be built along Chris-tian lines after World War II. These “re-Christianizing intentions” were considered heresy. After a mock trial and a perfunctory sentencing, Delp was executed in Plötzensee Prison on Febru-ary 2, 1945.

From the shadow of the scaffold, while awaiting the executioner’s certain but unscheduled arrival, Delp saw a world no longer capable of knowing God. “Drowned by the noises of every-day life, forbidden by restrictions, lost in the hurry of ‘progress,’ stifled by authority, misled by fear, the ordinary person’s ‘spiritual mechanism has rusted and become practically useless.’ Even the church was not spared from this critique, for he found himself sur-

Adventist Life

Meditating on JesusMeDItAtING ON Jesus

rounded by ‘mechanical believers’ who ‘believe’ in everything, in every cere-mony, every ritual—but know nothing whatever about the living God.”5

We have been cautioned that “bustle and show” and the “busy activity in the mechanical part of even the work of God may so occupy the mind that prayer shall be neglected, and self-importance and self-sufficiency, so ready to urge their way,”6 take the place of meditation and prayer.

Meditation is a way of shutting out the world and letting in the Spirit. It eliminates from our lives the things that would hinder our union with God and strengthens our desire that all we do shall be done for His honor and glory. Meditation is not a petition or a way of using God or of asking things of Him, but rather a surrender, a plea to God that He use us.

Two Stages of MeditationMeditation has two stages: with-

drawal from worldly consideration, and concentration on the nature of God and His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. After all, asked Ellen White, “what is more wor-thy to engross the mind than the plan of redemption? . . . He who has centered his affections upon Christ will relish this kind of hallowed association and will gather divine strength by such intercourse.”7

Meditation uses our three powers: the memory, the intellect, and the will. By memory we recall His goodness and our blessings; with the intellect we recall what is known of His life, truth, and love; by the will we strive to love Him above all else. When we study, we know about God; when we meditate, we know God’s presence in ourselves. Then our personality becomes lost in God’s so that His mind is our mind, His desires are our desires, His loves are our loves. In the words of the apostle Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).8

A Two-way StreetFor meditation, the ear is more

important than the tongue, because faith comes from listening (Rom. 10:17).

www.AdventistReview.org | March 13, 2014 | 23(14) www.AdventistReview.org | March 13, 2014 | 23(215)

Most of us commit the same mistake with God that we do with our friends: we do all the talking. Jesus warned against those who “use vain repetitions. . . . For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matt. 6:7).

One can be impolite to God, too, by absorbing all the conversation, and by changing the words of Scripture from “Speak, Lord, Thy servant hears” to “Lis-ten, Lord, Thy servant speaks.” God has things to tell us that will enlighten us, and we must wait for Him to speak. When we complain that God does not hear our prayers, perhaps it’s because we didn’t wait to hear His answers.

Prayer, then, is not a monologue, but a dialogue. It’s not a one-way street, but a boulevard. As Isaiah the prophet said: “He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned” (Isa. 50:4). Paul says the Spirit will tell us what things we ought to pray and provide spiritual expression to the voiceless void of our hearts. Prayer is arduous when it’s only a monologue, but a joy when our self-absorption gives way to the act of humble listening.

The best exposition of the steps in meditation is found in the Gospel account of the Resurrection. The disci-ples on that day were most forlorn. In their sadness they fell into a discussion about Jesus with a traveler they had met by chance on the Emmaus road. This marks the first stage of meditation: they spoke about Jesus, not realizing He was present. This was followed by Jesus’ dis-closure of His presence. We must listen, then, as the disciples did when He began to unfold to them the meaning of His passion and death. Finally, there comes a stage of communion, signified by the breaking of bread at supper described in the Gospel. At this point we are united to God, and God to us.

Practical EffectsDoes meditation have any practical

effects on our spiritual lives? First, it cures us of the habit of self-deception. Meditation enables us to hold up the mirror to our souls and see ourselves as we really are—not as we like to think we are. The silence that meditation

demands helps us to see our sins more clearly. It replaces the criticism of others by a self-criticism, which will make us less critical of others.

Meditation also improves our behav-ior. “Meditation upon holy things,” wrote Ellen White, “will elevate and refine the mind, and will develop Chris-tian ladies and gentlemen.”9

If we meditate consistently on God, a complete revolution in our behavior takes place. If in a morning meditation we remember how God became a hum-ble servant of humanity, we will not lord ourselves over others during the day. If there were a meditation on His redemption of all people, we would cease to be racists. If we dwell on the truth that Jesus took the world’s sins upon Himself, we will seek to take up the burdens of our neighbors even though they are not a part of our mak-ing, because the sins the Lord bore were not of His making. If meditation focuses on the merciful Savior who forgave those who crucified Him, so we will for-give those who injure us, so that we may receive forgiveness. If we meditate before we go to bed, our last thoughts at night will be our first thoughts in the morning. There will be no feelings of depression because we are facing what seems to be a meaningless day; instead will be the joy of beginning another day serving in Christ’s name.

Meditation also connects us with new sources of power and energy. “Meditate day and night upon His character,” Ellen White admonished, then “you will . . . rejoice in His goodness. Your heart will glow with a sense of His love. You will be uplifted as if borne by everlast-ing arms. With the power and light that God imparts, you can comprehend more and accomplish more than you ever before deemed possible.”10

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28), Jesus tells us. None of us has sufficient knowledge and power to carry us through all the difficulties and trials of living. The more an orchestra plays, the more frequently the instru-ments must be tuned; the farther an air-plane flies, the more often it needs to be

serviced. When our spiritual batteries run down, we cannot charge them by ourselves. The more active the life is, the greater the need to vitalize its acts by meditation.

Personalized MeditationOur time of meditation must be per-

sonalized. We cannot cling to unlawful attachments. “Blessed are the pure in heart,” Jesus said. Therefore, by God’s grace, we need purity of conscience, heart, mind, and action. Our helpless-ness must be rendered up to the power of God, so the Holy Spirit can change and transform us more fully into His likeness.

As the earth revolves around the sun, it carries with it its own atmosphere. So too can we can carry the atmosphere of God amid the world’s turbulent events. Little wonder Ellen White counseled, “We . . . must have times set apart for meditation and prayer and for receiving spiritual refreshing. . . . Prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish. We are seldom, in all respects, placed in the same position twice. We continually have new scenes and new trials to pass through, where past experience cannot be a sufficient guide. We must have the continual light that comes from God.”11 n

1 Frank N. Magill and Ian P. McGreal, eds., Christian Spirituality: The Essential Guide to the Most Influential Spir-itual Writings of the Christian Tradition (San Franscisco: Harper and Row Publishers, 1988), p. 306.

2 Ibid., p. 502. 3 Ibid., p. 584. 4 Ibid., p. 656. 5 Ibid., pp. 583, 584. 6 Ellen G. White, Testimonies to the Church (Mountain

View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1948), vol. 4, p. 535. 7 Ibid., vol. 5, p. 600. 8 All Scripture quotations are from the New King

James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

9 Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education (Nashville: Southern Pub. Assn., 1923), p. 132.

10 Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 514.

11 Ibid., p. 509.

REx D. EDWARDS IS RESEARCH

ASSISTANT FOR THE GENERAL

CONFERENCE BIBLICAL RESEARCH

INSTITUTE.

24 (216)

AHeart and Soul:

Theology

popular animated film from a few

years ago features a protagonist

named gru, who is on a quest to

capture the moon in order to earn

the title of World’s greatest villain.1

as the story progresses, one

comes to see that this antisocial,

self-centered aspiration is rooted

in a childhood history of emo-

tional neglect, unworthiness, and

unimportance. the character in

question shows all the telltale

signs of someone who is emo-

tionally dwarfed: lack of empa-

thy, lack of humor, as well as a

fear of vulnerability, attachment,

and emotions in general. he

seeks to compensate by making

himself significant in a world that

makes him insignificant.

by the end of the otherwise silly

story, gru comes to experience

and open up to love. he stops try-

ing to be a hero (or antihero), and

just accepts his need to love and

be loved.

BY JONATHAN MARTIN

A TWENTY- FIRST-CENTURY FAITH

EAch onE of ouR distinctivE doctRinEs is A

dEclARAtion of how closE, loving, And involvEd

fAthER god REAlly is.

Religion of HeroesMany of us know Adventism as a reli-

gion for heroes. We are, after all, the rem-nant people, those who must stand in the last days before a holy God. We stand apart from the crowd in our observance of the Sabbath. We teach unpopular truths about history, Bible prophecy and

end-times, death, law, and judgment.Add to all that a lifestyle message that

seems to touch every cherished sin of our age, and you have something to intimidate even the most daring people.

For many, transitioning to Adventism seems like a herculean epic, overcoming trial after trial on our quest for eternity. However, as Peter discovered, Jesus does not need heroes. He needs people capa-ble of doing heroic things who realize that they are but children in need of gen-uine community, authenticity, vulnera-bility, and love that only Jesus provides.

The Unjust StewardThe parable of the unjust steward

(Luke 16:1-13) clearly lays out the importance of connection, authenticity, and vulnerability.

The parable begins when a scoundrel wealth manager is found skimming from his boss’s fortune. Because of the manager’s selfish approach to life, he is about to lose his position, status, and power. To meet this emergency, he unex-pectedly changes his life philosophy and sets out to create a social safety net for himself at the master’s expense. Amaz-ingly, the master commends the shrewd-ness of his double-dealing servant.

This is the key to understanding the parable: The steward was not com-

mended for his tactics. The master com-mended the selfish steward for being shrewd enough to see that his self-cen-tered approach to life to that point led nowhere. Despite his shady dealings, he is praised for seeing that he needed oth-ers, and for seeking them out, even at the risk of bringing more trouble on himself.

The servant stops his power trip and decides to bank on friendship, vulnera-bility, goodwill, and solidarity with oth-ers. This is what is commendable.

It was actually a savvy and unusual way of dealing with the problem. The more common way would have been to try to prove his innocence and/or impress the master through heroic acts of some kind.

Another reaction would have been to be hard on his master’s debtors to try to prove himself to the master and regain his money. This would have been more

in keeping with his previous life of independent power and wealth seeking. But instead he decided to bank on friendship. He became vulnerable and approached others as one in need. He laid a foundation for a life of commu-nity and solidarity with others. It is a total reversal of his previous life.

We and the Unjust StewardLike the unjust steward, we too need

a dramatic shift in life philosophy. The independent, self-made righteousness that we often seek actually bankrupts us. Our antisocial attitude makes us unfit for heaven. Our natural impulse is to try to prove our innocence to God, or impress Him with some heroic works.


A TWENTY- FIRST-CENTURY FAITHAdventism for the dAys AheAd

But what we really need is to turn around and focus our energies on fos-tering genuine community and connec-tion in this world. We have to stop promoting and defending ourselves and open ourselves up to vulnerability, authenticity, and love. We have to real-ize that only Jesus can bring true and

genuine community.The gospel exists where there is true

community. All our doctrines, under-stood in the light of Jesus’ life-changing love, lead to living socially, authenti-cally, and connected with others.

The Right ThingThis concept is hardly foreign to us.

We have doubtless heard many sermons and read many articles about the com-munal nature of love. We are encouraged to love each other more. Being like Jesus means demonstrating a love for each other that we do not naturally have. And it is one of the main purposes we ascribe to the church, a community in which Christian love develops and flourishes.

Sadly, we seem not to understand and appreciate just how much it is our privi-lege and our need to love and be con-nected to others. The unjust steward did not act from some higher ethical princi-ple; he acted from pure self-interest. By contrast, Christ would have us under-stand that love is the right thing to do, and that even selfish people can recognize the rightness of looking out for others.

The latest research in the study of happiness agrees that vulnerability, connection, solidarity, and authenticity is where true happiness is found.2

God isn’t looking for heroes, He’s looking for children. Heroes are inevita-bly proud of their sacrifices and accom-plishments. God is looking for the humble, those who know they are not heroes. He is looking for those who rec-ognize that what is good is also best for them. They’re just doing what they were created and saved to do. “So you also, when you have done everything you


ing our solidarity and interdependence with the rest of humanity; when we rec-ognize this as God’s original plan for the perfect and emotionally satisfying life we were created for: then we will be able to see the liberation power of God’s righteousness, instead of the subjugat-ing force of divine orders. These heart-and-soul dimensions of Jesus’ saving grace infuse our preaching with never-before-seen power. For it is no longer some cerebral conception, some theo-retical abstraction on disembodied, immortal souls, it is salvation for whole people—their brains and their think-ing, their arms and their embracing.

“[Jesus] called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly posi-tion of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven’ ” (Matt. 18:2-4).

In a way, we never grow up. We just build higher walls around that love and connection-craving child within. God’s design is that we go from finding our emotional home base in our parents to finding it in Him. As we become adults we are confronted with the reality that our parents are not all-powerful, all-knowing, or all-loving. They are mortal and fallible, like we are. They simply cannot keep us secure in a world in which death reigns, and in which they are themselves powerless, no matter how well-intentioned they may be.

Mortality turns life into mere enter-tainment. There can be no ultimate pur-pose or meaning when nonexistence awaits us. In a life of entertainment, love and vulnerability become a liability rather than an asset. Taken too seri-ously, they can keep us from having the fun and achieving the successes we want. So we must protect ourselves from them.

This is why life in this fallen world pushes us to build walls around us. We crave love, but fear the sacrifice it repre-sents. If this world is all there is, then love isn’t worth it. But eternal accep-tance with God, having an assured place within His kingdom of love, changes the

equation. Love makes sense once again. Love becomes doable rather than heroic.

Wrap-upAdventism for the twenty-first cen-

tury has gotten over some narrowly intellectual concepts and defense of our doctrines. Like the walls of Jericho, the intellectual walls against our message will fall without a fight when we do the crucial work of demonstrating what our doctrines mean for our broken world and our broken hearts.

It all starts with love and vulnerabil-ity. When I talk to people about the Ad-ventist revolution, I just want people to walk away with one conviction: that the grace Adventists celebrate is about childlike vulnerability, human connec-tion, and heartfelt authenticity.

God is closer to us than anyone ever imagined. Not only will He end death and suffering, He had nothing to do with them in the first place. Not only did God start history, He has been guid-ing it step by step. Not only can we have a personal relationship with Jesus, but He has also a specific day set aside each week to meet with us. Not only does Jesus forgive us, He also works in His sanctuary to give us His heart.

Each one of our distinctive doctrines is a declaration of how close, loving, and involved our Father God really is. God gives us the emotional security we need to love and to be loved without limit. He is big enough to unlock our vulnerabil-ity and tear away any facade of perfec-tionism, sufficiency, and independence that frightened humans shut them-selves into.

These precious truths not only present Christ as the answer that our emotionally atrophied world desperately needs, they also, as we understand and apply them, make us perfectly ready to go home.

1 Despicable Me (Universal Pictures, 2010).2 See Brené Brown, Daring Greatly (New York; Pen-

guin Books, 2012).

JONATHAN MARTIN IS A PASTORAL

INTERN IN qUEBEC CITY, CANADA. HE

HAS A B.A. IN PASTORAL MINISTRY

FROM ANDREWS UNIVERSITY, AND A

J.D. FROM SHERBROOKE UNIVERSITY.

were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’ ” (Luke 17:10).

The Better LifeAll of this leads us to conclude that

the attached life, the communal, inter-dependent life, is the better life. Ascetic individualism centered on denial of pleasure and inclination is not God’s road to goodness. Rather, God’s way is in solidarity and family connection with our sisters and brothers, all in childlike dependence on God.

This, of course, often calls for self-denial and sacrifice. But abnegation is not an end in and of itself. God takes no pleasure in seeing us flog our bodies. His desire is not to abase us, but to build us up and help us reach our full-est potential and happiness. He under-stands and has designed that such growth can truly occur only for a per-son who has learned the infinite value

of connection and loving interdependence with

others. Jesus’ com-ing, His own con-

tinual dependence, His celebration of His children, all teach us to be converted to childlikeness within; to be genuine, vul-nerable, and connected, as He first cre-ated us.

The dangers of missing this

truth are too great to be

ignored. For miss-ing it holds Christi-

anity in the perpetual Jesus-Accepts-Me-as-I-Am-So-Why-Do-

I-Have-to-Be-Good? paradox. An antiso-cial gospel produces such antisocial questions as this.

When we, on the other hand, see Cal-vary’s saving love as God’s embrace of the whole world; when we understand the concept of God as Father underlin-


Fragile DaisiesTHREE HOURS HAVE PASSED. I REMEMBER THE WORDS: DO NOT Be AFrAID; just believe. Yet I am truly afraid.

* * *I walk into the pediatrics facility. Tomorrow is Laurie’s surgery. She’s only 6. Treatment has shrunk her

brain tumor, and surgeons will remove it tomorrow. As I open the building’s door I remember conversing with Laurie’s father. While Laurie sleeps, he reads the Bible. He found the story in which Jesus healed Jairus’ daughter.

“Jesus told them not to be afraid, but to believe,” he said. “We trust in God’s will.” That night I peeked through Laurie’s bedroom window. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would sustain them, remind them of God’s promises, and bring us grace and humility to stand without fear.

I stop at the nurses’ station. The nurses tell me that Laurie asked for a daisy chain to wear on her head before surgery. I smile. Laurie lives on a farm and loves daisies. Her mother once showed me a picture of Laurie in her father’s arms, laughing, her long hair blowing in the wind, a daisy chain around her head. The treatment has left Laurie with no hair.

A nurse hands me an envelope with directions to a flower shop five miles from the hospital. “Can you help us?” They all pitched in for the daisy chain. * * *

A little bell announces my entrance into the flower shop. A young woman carrying a bucket of roses greets me. She takes out a small notepad to gather information. A short old man walks toward the counter, looks at me, looks at the notepad, and walks away in an uninterested man-ner. He returns with two buckets of daisies, places them on the counter, and walks away.

The young woman quietly apologizes and tells me this is her father’s shop. He is ill. She has inherited responsibilities as well as the flower shop.

She asks for the measurement for the daisy chain and comments on how “unusual” this request is. I hand her a piece of paper just as her father returns to the counter. The woman looks at the paper, then at me, then at her father. She just realized how small the measurements are. The look on the old man’s face softens. He begins working through the daisy buckets as he talks: “For the perfect daisy chain, select the ones that will not break easily; and beautiful ones that have all their tiny petals. Always have two chains braided together. They are fragile.” A pause. “Is she fragile too?”

Yes.* * *

I stand outside the room, listening to Laurie’s laughter as nurses help with the daisy chain. Tomorrow the daisy chain will no longer be on her head: Do not be afraid; just believe. Profound words. Our Savior is right here, right now, helping the surgeons prepare, managing every little detail.

Do not be afraid; just believe. I sit with Laurie’s parents in the waiting area. Three hours and 20 minutes have gone by. Dear God, let me believe. Take my fear away.

* * *Two days have passed. Laurie is recovering from a successful surgery. As I walk into the room I see daisy

chains on the window, on the base of her bed, and in beautiful arrangements on the tables. Laurie’s mom says a father/daughter team decorated the room while Laurie slept. They said they would return to change the flowers as needed.

What a beautiful gift. From a small piece of paper, the Holy Spirit encouraged the florists to participate in God’s healing work with Laurie.

That we are all fragile is obvious. That we have to help one another more, on small and big things, is often not as obvious. Still, the Holy Spirit puts urgency in our hearts to lend a helping hand, and we must listen.

I sit close to Laurie, take her hand, and ask, “Do you know how to make the perfect daisy chain?” n

DIxIL RODRíGUEz IS A COLLEGE PROFESSOR AND VOLUNTEER HOSPITAL CHAPLAIN.

Searching the Obvious

Dixil rodríquez


WHat reminDs

you of “going

Home”?

Story

BY eLiZaBetH BoyD

he stood alone at the back entrance of the church, the winter sun shining on his weathered face. His shoul-ders were slightly stooped,

his white hair and beard neatly trimmed. He reached for the handle of the door. Should he go in?

It had been a long time since he had been inside a church. Life had been hard. His wife had left him a few years ago, and he and his 16-year-old son shared an apartment overlooking Port-land’s harbor.

Starting a new business after retiring from the Navy wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t the ex-wife, the wayward son, or the change of life work that weighed on his stooped shoulders. It was the nagging, empty place in his heart.

When he had been a kid, his grand-mother had taken him to church. He had learned Bible verses, sung “Jesus Loves Me,” and prayed. But he had dreams. Big dreams. Church just didn’t fit into them.

Sometimes, when all was quiet in the middle of the night, he would look up from his puffy pillow into the darkness

and wonder about God. Did God still love him after all his wasted years?

The thought in the back of his mind kept hounding him: perhaps he should find his way back to church. Maybe something there would be a balm to his aching heart.

The winter wind tugged at his down parka. He pulled it closer about him and opened the back door. It was warm inside. Women were already heating the covered dishes for potluck, and the aroma surrounded him.

Faint voices of children in the kinder-

garten room came floating up the stair-way. “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!” He was drawn in by the voices of these little ones. He remembered that long ago and far away He was the little boy in the blue shirt who sang, “Jesus loves me, this I know!”

His blue eyes began to sting, and a tear rested on his weathered cheek. This is where I belong, he thought, as he made his way closer to the singing. I’ve come home.

When he told me the story a few months later, he had a new look on his face, and shoulders were no longer stooped. I could identify with his story.

the green-striped downy Comforter©

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Home Away From HomeI was a 13-year-old from the city. Day

after day on the freeway, trucks with diesel engines roared past our house. Police and ambulance sirens wailed day and night. The sky hung heavy and gray, blocking the golden rays of sunshine;

my lungs ached for a breath of fresh air. There was no spot where a little girl with long brown hair could go to be alone and ponder the long, long thoughts of youth.

Then came summertime. Uncle Felix and Aunt Mary lived on a cattle ranch among the rolling green hills of the Midwest.

After school was out, my parents let me spend some time where the air was fresh and the sky was blue. I rode the horse at full gallop down the dirt road with the wind in my long hair and the horse’s black mane blowing onto my face, stinging my cheeks.

From the farm, I could see the little white church some five miles away on a yonder ridge. Church was special. Farmers gathered at the churchyard early, as soon as their chores were done. Women brought covered dishes of green beans,

new potatoes, and fresh red tomatoes from the garden. Men gathered and talked about the weather, and what it was doing to the hay. Then the singing started.

Uncle Willie sang bass; Uncle Delbert, tenor; Uncle Felix took the lead. The songs went on and on, until it was time to start the service. Then my uncle would raise his hand for the worshippers to welcome the platform participants. He would start the song, and we would all sing together, “There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God. . . . Hold us who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.”

I could look out the window over the

rolling hills dotted with small farms and Black Angus cattle. The windows were wide open, and the smell of freshly mowed hay was in the air. The silver notes of the meadowlark’s song blended with our own singing. The words of the songs etched themselves into my mind.

Ever after, when life seemed brittle, I would visit the farm again. The scene was the same. Women gathered around the table with the covered dishes, men talked about the weather, and the sing-ing would begin. As always my uncle would raise his hand and invite us to sing, “Hold us who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.”

There’s something to be said about finding that what was there when you left is still there when you come home.

Bridging the GapThe teens at our church have a prayer

group that meets at my big old New England farmhouse after the service every week. We’re not very fancy. We just have soup, swirl bread, and peanut butter. That’s all.

After the meal the kids rush to my

office upstairs to stake their claim to which puffy flowered pillow they will hug for the afternoon, and who gets to nestle into the old feather tick. Their favorite item is the downy puff covered with the white-and-green-striped sheets. As many as possible sit on the floor atop the green Prussian rug with this green-striped comforter over their legs and their Bibles in their hands. It is a precious time as they make their own memories. I’m glad the green-striped puff is part of it.

A few months ago I went to one of those periodic “retreats” at the church’s youth facility back in the mountains

Could It be that IN these days oF uNCertaINty We NeeD a FeW

seCurIty blaNKets?

What Do YoU think??1. What are your one or two best mem-

ories about growing up in a Christian home? If you weren’t raised in a Christian home, what appealed to you most as an outside observer?

2. What role do those memories now play in your appreciation of and par-ticipation in the church?

3. How has the world changed—either for good or bad—since you were young? List at least three ways.

4. What can you as an individual or as a congregation do to create positive, lasting memories for the generation now forming its memories about Christianity? Be specific.

beside the lake. Cabins are there, but you have to bring your own linen and sleep on a cot definitely designed with youth in mind.

I spread the green-striped puff atop the sagging bed and crawled between the sheets. I had just closed my eyes when I heard the door creak.

A beam of light shone on the green-striped puff. “Oh!” whispered a little blond teen to her bud. “It’s the green-striped comforter!”

In a moment they were on the bed, snug-

gling under the green-striped puff, and sharing the long, long thoughts of youth.

Could it be that in these days of change and uncertainty we need a few security blankets around? The new songs, the new ways of doing church, the new viewpoints are refreshing, and have their place. But everyone needs a green-striped comforter to come home to. n

ELIzABETH BOYD WRITES FROM

HARPSWELL, MAINE.

the green-striped downy Comforter

Reflections

Loving the unlovableTHE FIRST TIME WE SAW HIM HE WAS WALKING LEISURELY ACROSS OUR backyard. He paid little attention to Joan and me as we relaxed near the little fishpond. “He” was a beautiful big orange-and-white cat with long fur and a large, bushy tail. We soon discovered that he was a tomcat of Turkish Van heritage, and that his name was Tom.

We often observed his walks as we sat in the cool of the evenings. There he would go across the backyard and the garden plot, through the little patch of woods, and on toward our neighbor’s house. We tried calling to him as he passed by, but he would stop only for a moment in midstride, turn his head to look at us, and amble on to wherever he was going. He paid no attention to our dog and two cats, nor did they him, as if there was a certain peace agreement between them.

Early one afternoon I went to Joan’s sewing room in the basement and found Tom lying on one of Joan’s large sewing tables. Apparently he had made his way through Sheba’s dog door, helped himself to some of Sam and Suzie’s cat food, and stretched out for a nap.

I wanted to make friends with this big, beautiful cat, so I reached out to touch him. I made contact, all right, but not in the way I intended. Tom snarled wickedly and jumped at me, fastening his claws into my arm and his teeth into my hand. Then just as quickly he let go and darted out of the basement. It was not a very good start to what I hoped would be a beautiful friendship.

Apparently that episode did not discourage Tom, because before long I met him again under the same cir-cumstances. He lay there quietly, just looking at me and wondering if I had learned my lesson not to touch him.

This time I was more cautious. I leaned against the nearby table while talking to him quietly. I reached out with the tip of my walking cane and lightly rubbed his back between his shoulders. He did not move, but squinted his eyes, as cats often do when pleased.

This happened several times during the next few days, with the same result. I decided to be a little bolder. So the next time, after rubbing his back for a bit with my cane, I reached over to touch him. But Tom was still not ready for that close of a friendship. Snarling like a wildcat, he grabbed my arm and hand again before he ran out of the basement.

Tom enjoyed our basement, continuing to rest on the sewing table after feasting on some of Sam and Suzie’s dinner. I gave him the same treatment with my cane, but kept my hands to myself.

One day something miraculous happened. I gave Tom his nuzzle with the cane and drew it back. Then, while leaning against the next table, I just looked at him. All at once he gathered himself up, leaped across the gap between our tables, and began rubbing against me as if we were longtime friends.

It wasn’t all roses from then on. I had to be careful about our associations on certain days, as he would lose his cool and go back to his old snarling meanness. But I didn’t give up.

It took a bit of time and patience, but Tom became my almost-constant companion, and his tem-perament softened. I believe Tom finally learned how to love when he finally recognized and responded to the affection shown him.

Tom is gone now, resting by the little fishpond. But that big orange-and-white cat taught me a great lesson.

In my experience with him I came to better understand God’s experience with me. I may have appeared likable and touchable on the outside, but that belied what was inside. Jesus loved me and showed me so with His actions. He did not give up when I snarled or even struck out at Him. He kept drawing me in with His love until I jumped across the gap between us to be His friend. Now He keeps me close, and I will be His forever.

“I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (Jer. 31:3, KJV). n

RAYMOND H. HICKMAN, SR., WRITES FROM MIDLOTHIAN, VIRGINIA.

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